Study on the Association of Different Virus Species with Fig Mosaic Disease in Iran

Fig mosaic disease which is known as one of the most important impacting viral diseases of fig, is caused by several DNA and RNA viruses belonging to the different genera and families. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the presence of the most important RNA viral agents causing the disease including: Fig mosaic virus (FMV), Fig latent virus-1 (FLV-1), Fig cryptic virus (FCV), Fig fleck-associated virus (FFKaV), Fig leaf mottle associated virus-1 (FLMaV-1), Fig leaf mottle associated virus-2 (FLMaV-2), Fig leaf mottle associated virus-3 (FLMaV-3) and Fig mild mottle associated virus (FMMaV) in different fig cultivations of the country. Sample collection was done from 14 provinces and 611 symptomatic fig leaves. The cDNA of the samples was synthesized using the isolated dsRNAs with cellulose column and random primer. The molecular identification was performed using PCR and specific primers for each virus. After characterization of the infected regions, the results of identification of mixed infections by different viruses showed that the FMV. The results indicated that all of the studied provinces and more than half of the collected samples are infected with at least one of the viruses. Some of the viruses such as FMV were not detected in certain visited regions such as Fars province. The FMV and FFKaV with infection rates of 34.7% and 14.2% and FMMaV with 4.4% showed the highest and lowest infection rates, respectively. The highest level of the mixed infection was observed for FMV and the members of the Closteroviridae family.